What are you thankful for?

By Joe Castaneda We moved to Michigan in March of 2013. There was snow on the ground. There was snow on the ground in April. We actually celebrated our first Michigan Easter by visiting a church, and Celina did an Easter egg hunt with snow boots, heavy coat and gloves. On Mothers Day, May 12, 2013, we had a huge snowfall with big flakes and an inch of accumulation.

The snow was gone in June, July, August and September, but in October of 2013, we had our first snowfall of “winter”. It didn’t last, but we had several days of snow and understood that when people in northern Michigan said, “Make a Halloween costume that can fit over your snow gear”...they weren’t joking. The snow came to stay in November, and that means, as we near April of 2014, that in the 14 months we have been in Michigan, we have had snow on the ground in ten of those months!

I don’t love the cold and snow like some, but I have certainly come to enjoy it. The snow is beautiful while it is falling and our family has learned to have a lot of fun in this Winter Wonderland we now call home. This particular winter has been very snowy and particularly cold, so that even the most diehard winter fans are ready for the warmth of spring and summer to hit.

When we chose to follow God to Michigan, I knew that I was probably going to be the family member that had the biggest adjustments to make. Tati, our 16-year-old, probably dislikes the cold even more, but she and I have both had ample opportunity to be stretched by this experience. My wife has great childhood memories of the snow, and she has brought a fair amount of joy to all of us as we’ve experienced real winter. But the reality is, cold or no cold, snow or snow, my ability to thank God for my circumstances rests entirely in the freedom God has given me through Christ.

Bottom line, every single moment of every single day, my state of thankfulness is does not have to be hampered by the morning’s weather report.

Since we moved, I’ve prayed and worked hard on being thankful for our situation. Today, for example, thinking about another month of cold and snow, I intentionally thought about those things for which I’m thankful. My list? I am thankful for the amazing beauty of the snow, especially in the morning as the sun comes up over our frozen lake and shines in our kitchen window. I’m thankful for my awesome family that has embraced this journey with courage, joy, laughter, faith and commitment to each other. I’m thankful now -- probably more than ever! -- for the warmth of summer and sunshine. I doubt you’ll ever read a post on this blog about the oppressive heat of summer (please feel free to digi-slap me if you do!).

Paul commands in 1 Thessalonians 5 to, “be thankful always.” One translation says it this way: “Be thankful in all circumstances.” If thankfulness is a command, that means it is also a choice. I can choose to be thankful for where I am in God’s plan, or I can play the victim, and whine and complain about the things I can’t change. You can’t live the Overboard Life as a victim -- you must embrace the journey with thankfulness!

What do you need to thank God for, today? Whatever your state or present circumstance, can you list five reasons why you can give thanks to Him?

Go ahead and take the plunge, life is always better on the water!

The 30-day Overboard workout

The late Brian Klemmer wrote a book called, “If How-To’s Were Enough, We Would all be Skinny, Rich and Happy.” Knowing how to do something, and actually doing that thing, are two very different beasts.

Think about your first kiss. You knew how to kiss. You knew that two people would do that awkward head tilt, close their eyes, and then press their lips together. All of that was in your brain.

However, the actual first kiss is an entirely different experience than what you know. My wife and I still laugh at our first bungled attempt at a kiss. Although since then, I’m happy to report, we have become quite proficient.

Living the Overboard Life can be the same thing. We know what we should do, but doing it is another issue entirely. Maybe for you the task seems entirely overwhelming, so you just plug along and hope you’ll find yourself overboard, soon.

Working out is like that for me. I know what I need to do, but actually getting out and doing it is the problem. In fact,  it’s not even so much the doing, it’s having a program that I can follow that will help me stay on track. I love doing workout videos and being a part of group classes for this very reason -- it gives me a general plan to follow so that I can get the habit developed. Just going to the gym and “working out” doesn’t cut it for most people. That’s why “30 days to a leaner you” and “the 45 minutes workout for washboard abs” are all big sellers.

If you’re struggling to get overboard in your life, here are five ways you could make the plunge over the next 30 days. By intentionally making each of these activities a daily habit, you’ll soon find yourself stepping out in big ways, following Jesus!

1. Spend time with God, every day: Seems like a no-brainer, right? Yet I know so many God followers who never spend time with God. Sometimes I get so caught up in what I’m doing that I forget to connect with HIm! It’s so easy to do. But if you want to live the Overboard Life, God has to be a regular part of your daily schedule. I recently interviewed a young woman who said, “I connect with God every morning before my feet hit the ground. I finish my day by chatting with Him before my head hits the pillow.” What a great life pattern!
2. Be inspired every day: Let something, or someone, capture your imagination, every day. Yes, every day. There is so much to be captivated by, but we miss it because of our crazy lifestyles. I’ve been working on this a lot in my life lately, in fact, here are my last four days of inspiration:
   • I was captivated by the science behind some running pants (it’s true!)
   • I was struck by the joy of my seven year old daughter over something so small
   • I spent 15 minutes reading about the interesting history of our local train station
   • I played 4-square with 6 kids, and spent a lot of time laughing and having fun
3. Help someone else achieve a goal or dream: Help someone else live Overboard. Each day I try to find a way to help my wife achieve her goals and dreams, even as I’m working on mine. Sometimes it’s as simple as heating up dinner, or taking the kids for a walk while she works. Other times it means sitting and brainstorming with her, or taking time to help her craft an email. I also like to call other people who are living Overboard, encouraging them through prayer or texts or coaching (if they ask for it). Whatever it is, a call, a note, and email, or a service project -- help others reach their goals.
4. Be thankful. Take time every day to thank God, and to thank the people He has put in your life. My least favorite people to hang out with, our ungrateful Christians. After all, we should have the most to be thankful for, and the most for which to give heart felt, genuine and regular gratitude. Spend some time being intentionally thankful, and watch how your Overboard Life improves.
5. Read a good book. Few things work more quickly to challenge your Overboard living, than reading a book. I have four quick recommendations. Read one of these over the next 30 days:
   • “40 days to a Joy-Filled Life”: Ok, you’ll need to squeeze an extra ten days in there, but I think you can make it work. Tommy Newberry’s book is awesome, and worth reading if you want to experience life-changing joy.
   • “Leadership and Self-Deception”: This is an outstanding book that will challenge you to think about how you view leadership, how you lead others, and how you are led. Very complex principles put into simple terms.
   • “A Million Miles in a Thousand Years”: Donald Miller’s book is fantastic, especially as it pertains to expanding your dreams and goals for God.
   • “The Longing”: This is a new one to me, written by author/speaker/blogger/coach/dreamer Joey O’Conner. You can download it for free from his site, www.joeyo.org. The Longing will challenge you to pursue the one longing we all have -- a fulfilling, life-changing relationship with God.

So take this 30 day Overboard workout challenge and see what happens. It’s so easy to get comfortable in the boat, floating around “waiting” for the right opportunity to jump out and follow God. But Jesus is already on the water. He is already calling you and I to trust Him, and to grab the sides of the boat and jump -- to walk on water like Him! But the best life you can live isn’t found in the boat.

Go ahead and take the plunge…life is better on the water!

Happy Thanksgiving (aka: the discipline of thankfulness) (2/7)

I’ve really enjoyed the 30 day gratitude challenge so many people are doing on facebook. I’m curious if there’s a way to measure people’s overall happiness during this month, but if facebook is any indication, people are happier. After all, when you’re committed to being thankful at the end of day, no matter what happens, it forces you to see the good in life. And I think that’s the point of thankfulness -- seeing what is good all around us.  

Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5 to “be thankful always”. That seems incredibly appropriate as we celebrate Thanksgiving. But of course, “always” means our thankfulness must occur more often than the fourth Thursday or November (or the second Monday of October for our Canadian audience members).

As we focus on the disciplines that make it possible to live the Overboard Life, the discipline of thankfulness is one that must be learned, relearned and mastered. “Thank you” is powerful.

I’m currently working through Tommy Newberry’s latest book, “40 days to a joy-filled life”. I can’t say enough about Tommy and his book, and I encourage you to pick up a copy yourself. One of the key thrusts of Newberry’s book is this: you can choose what you focus on and think about. Each day, with every thought, you have choices to make about what your mind will dwell on. You can see things with a bent towards thankfulness, or you can see things through the lens of disappointment and victimhood. Each day, you get to choose.

When we develop the habit of thankfulness, I think we stop doing these three things:

1. Blaming others for our circumstances.
2. Looking for excuses as to why we aren’t where we want to be.
3. Wanting others to fail while.

And start doing these three things:

1. See our circumstances as part of journey, and find thankfulness even when the path is hard.
2. Choose to focus on the reality of opportunity in trials and tough times, finding thankfulness for opportunity to grow as we move towards the end destination.
3. Celebrate others’ successes, as much as own, finding thankfulness if the journeys of fellow travelers.

I believe the discipline of thankfulness is a game-changer. I believe this so much I’ve intentionally moved much of my life in that direction. Several years ago I actually thought about how unthankful my prayers had been so now almost all of my prayer times begin like this: “Dear God, Thank you for....” By putting thankfulness at the beginning of my prayers, I believe I radically changed my communication with God. As much as I’m speaking to God about things I’m seeking His divine help on, I’m also mindful of the things for which I’m thankful. In fact, sometimes I start my prayers, “Heavenly Father, thank you...” and I actually pause because I wasn’t mentally ready with gratitude. The pause does me wonders, and when I think about and then express my thankfulness, my prayers are transformed.

Here are a few ideas to extend your thankfulness:

1. Evaluate your prayer life like I did, and intentionally add thankfulness to your prayer times.
2. Create a “Wall of Blessings” in your house. Write out the different ways God has blessed you and keep adding to it.
3. Make a point to write five thank you cards every week (or maybe one a day).
4. Wake up each morning and as you put your feet on the floor say, “Today, I am thankful for....” Repeat at night as you crawl into bed.

Do you have some ideas for developing an attitude of gratitude? Share those with us!

Living life out of the comfort of the boat and out on the water where Jesus is building His Kingdom is hard work and requires many different disciplines. One of those disciplines, is the discipline of thankfulness.

So go ahead and take the plunge, life is always better on the water!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.